Category Archives: Comic-Con 2010

One of my new favorite comics, ‘The Walking Dead’, is being made into an AMC television show drama. Now, I’ve never been a huge fan of the zombie genre but I can say that I LOVE this series. I’m only two thirds through the compendium and it’s been gripping! The story is deep with complex drama, emotion, conflict, relationships, humanity issues, survival tactics, and of course zombie action.

San Diego Comic Con 10Here is part 2 of our coverage of Comic Con Day 2 and 3. In this podcast we cover Scott Pilgrim, The Chuck TweetUp, Green Lantern, and the Marvel panel. We also give our concluding thoughts and ratings of this year’s Con.

Here is the new TRON Legacy trailer that debuted at Comic Con last week. It was awesome that they wanted to reveal it to us first before showing the world. Needless to say, the fans went crazy. They also showed us an 8 minute clip which will probably surface on the interweb sometime soon. This will definitely be THE movie to see by the end of the year.

San Diego Comic Con 10The Babblers are back for the biggest event of the year, Comic Con 2010! This year was the biggest ever bringing out Hollywood’s A-list newcomers like Angelina Jolie, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, Will Ferrill, Tina Fey and much more. Since we did the full 4 1/2 day experience, we broke this podcast into two parts (2nd posting soon):

One of my highlights of Comic Con 10 was having a chance to ask Jeff Bridges a question during the Tron: Legacy panel. It’s nice to know that despite all the technologic changes over the years, his creative process of acting has not changed much. Check it out:

Another Comic Con has come and gone. It’s now four days later and the ‘post-Comic Con blues’ are in full effect. It was an amazing event and I will look back at 2010 with fond memories. Here are some the of highlights (in no particular order) that made this year one of the best yet.

1. Preview Night: I am normally not a huge fan of Preview Night. If you plan effectively, there is usually enough time to see the floor throughout the week. This year however, it was necessary because of all the new set pieces. The studios tend to recycle from year to year but this time I felt like there was a lot of new displays to see. Getting it out of the way early relieved pressure on Thursday morning since the Tron panel would be at that time. Tron: Legacy, Odin’s Throne, and the Alien’s Anthology were particularly impressive.

2. Tron:Legacy: The much-anticipated Tron panel did not disappoint. People camped out in line the night before just to make it into the massive Hall H. Even though we got there 3 hours early, we were the last few people to make it in. Besides the new 8 minute scene, a new trailer was released which shows more of heart and soul of this movie. The audience was also invited to participate in capturing ‘mob noise’ for the movie. We had to do chants, stomping, and cheers to be used in the final Legacy cut. Pretty awesome. I also got a chance to ask Jeff Bridges a question which was a total honor. This will be THE movie to see by the end of the year.

3.Meeting Stan Lee: As a new member of the press with BabbleOn 5, I was invited to attend an exclusive press conference for Stan Lee. When I say ‘invited’ that means I begged and pleaded Stan’s press agent to allow me to attend! It was great to witness Stan release (later this year) three new heroes; Soldier Zero, Starborn, & The Traveler. The best part was having a chance to meet Stan for a moment and get a pic with him. It was a once in a life time opportunity and I will never forget it.

4. Nerds Unite!: Weeks leading up to Comic Con, Westboro Baptist Church declared war on Comic Con by deciding to picket on Thursday. Known as extremist, Westboro has spread their message of ‘God hates you’ to the Gay/Lesbian and Jewish communities- and now the nerds. With Twitter tensions raising, I was expecting the worst. Only a few people showed up for Westboro while 50+ pro-Comic Con fans represented in full force. The best part was that the fan’s message to Westboro was one of love, not hate. They just want to be understood and not judged. What potentially could have erupted into a violent demonstration ended with Comic Con fans being declared the winners. Sorry Westboro, better pick on someone your own size. Even as a pastor, I was glad that this so called ‘church’ was lost this showdown.

5. Scott Pilgrim and Dexter: As a new movie and relatively new TV show, Pilgrim and Dexter owned Comic Con. Their marketing was EVERYWHERE and rightfully deserved. Their fans have grown to cult status. Scott Pilgrim verses the World was premiered at Comic Con, while I didn’t have a chance to attend, my friends LOVED it. The marketing material was stellar like the custom-made flip book of yourself dancing around. For Dexter, every other person had the ‘bleeding cut’ tattoo on their face showing support to the dark series. It’s great to see new product arise out of quality and creative material. Especially when there is so much crap out there like Jonah Hex.

6. TweetUps!: A relatively new phenomenon has started with TweetsUps. These are gatherings of fans of a particular show or genre that is promoted solely through Twitter. As a big fan of the NBC show Chuck, I went to a TweetUp at a local bar. It was filled with Chuck fans that only knew each other through Twitter, most whom have never met in person. The cast made a surprise visit and I was able to meet Zachary Levi- who was super cool. You never know what will happen at a TweetUp and I am really glad I went.

7. The Nerf Herder: Harrison For made his first appearance to Comic Con ever! I know, you would think Han Solo or Indiana Jones would have been a regular at the Con but this was his first as he was promoting ‘Cowboys & Aliens’. What made it so memorable was that he came out in handcuffs and police escort mocking a real life altercation that broke out in Hall H about an hour earlier. His appearance was the single loudest applause I have ever heard for an actor before. I guess we love scruffy looking, nerf herders.

8. The lines: For the first time, tents were erected for Hall H and Ballroom 20. Hall H, or ‘Hall Hell’ as vets call it, was not quite as hellacious because of these tents. I was really grateful for the CON for sparing no expense by providing adequate coverage during some of the rainy and sunny days. I was fortunate not to wait longer than 3 hrs in line and these tents helped make it a pleasant experience. Let’s hope it returns for next year.

9. Marvel-ous: Marvel came to Comic Con to take names and kick butt. As the concluding panel in Hall H on Saturday, it did not disappoint and made the long wait worth it. The Thor panel showed adequate footage along with a new trailer. Even though Captain America had only been shooting for 8 days, they managed to show some ‘hot off the presses’ footage to whip fans into a frenzy. Each panel had a full cast that really brought theirA-game. The baddest twist of the day was the surprise AVENGERS panel with the entire cast led by Joss Whedon. They even managed a teaser trailer for a film that is still years away! The fans went ballistic. Thanks Marvel for making Saturday worth the wait. DC, you better get your butt in gear!

10. The more the merrier: Comic Con is really meant to be shared. This year there was 14 of us that went with half being Con virgins. When experienced through the eyes of newbies, it really does make it that much more special. You never forget your first Con and I was glad that all our peeps had a great time and are planning on returning. You may not be able to control what panels are at Con or if you will be able to get in, but you can control who goes in your group. So start recruiting for next year and ensure a great time regardless of the circumstances.

* A special note, my wife surprised me with a visit on Sunday. It was the first time she had attended after hearing about it for years. While not her cup of tea, she was glad to spend the day together and it was very special for us. At least she gets why I am so ‘Crazy 4 Comic Con’!

As a fan of the show, I cannot wait for this upcoming season. Without giving anything away, let’s just say that last season’s finale was a doozy. The trailer is embedded below, but be warned- there are spoliers. So if you’re not caught up- DON’T WATCH THIS!

Well ladies and gentlemen, another Comic-Con has come and gone. <Sniff, Sniff> I shed a tear in fond farewell. However, my mourning is only temporary as I already have my tickets for next year! That being said, I, your 6th favorite Babbler, decided to post some pictures and share some highlights and lowlights. We will start with the highs.

-The Tron Legacy Panel – Yeah, this was greatness. With the director and cast there, including the Dude himself, Bad Blake Jeff Bridges, there was some series star power going on. They also showed an extended 8 minute clip from the movie that looked amazing. On top of all that, they recorded the Comic-Con audience yelling different phrases to be used in the movie! Very cool move.

The Dexter Panel – So most of you know I am a huge Dexter fan and so seeing the cast and crew was pretty darn cool. I did actually get to ask Michael C. Hall a question. It went something like this.

Q. “Michael C. Hall, Dexter is a very dark character, how do you prepare for that and have you found yourself thinking like Dexter outside of work?”

A. “Yes, sometimes while stuck in traffic I do.” He then went on to explain that everyone takes their work home with them so sometimes he finds himself thinking like Dexter. He did add that since he has been playing this part for 5 years now he can slip in and out of it pretty easily.

The Avengers – This was a really cool surprise. At the end of the Thor and Captain America panels it was announced they had a surprise for us. Guess who comes running out? Robert Downey Jr! He runs to the microphone and gives us a warm welcome. Then he announces the cast of the Avengers movie and out walks Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlet Johansson and the rest of the cast, followed by director Joss Whedon! They all stood in front of the stage, rock music blaring, applause roaring, and took several deep bows before running off. Yeah, it was awesome.

– Chuck – The Chuck panel was amazing. The cast and crew REALLY go out of their way to connect with their fans, including making a special Jeffster video performed to Lady GaGa. Even cooler then that, Friday night there was a Chuck Tweet up, where fans of the show all got together at a local bar. Guess who shows up? Zachary Levi, Joshua Gomez, Ryan McPartlin and Sarah Lancaster! Our very own Tony Kim got to meet Zachary as well. I didn’t attempt to do so because I was busy hitting on a girl in the back of the bar.

Harrison Ford –Believe it or not, he has NEVER been to Comic-Con, until this year, and I have NEVER heard that much applause for any celebrity before. The place went crazy. He was here with John Favreau, Olivia Wilde (also on the Tron panel) and Daniel Craig to promote their movie Cowboys and Aliens. Some of you may have heard that a person got stabbed in the eye at Comic-Con this year, it happened just an hour or so before this panel, so as a joke, they had Harrison Ford walk out with his hand behind his back and escorted by two security guards. It was hilarious.

Lowlights- So there were very few lowlights and generally speaking I always try to make the most of Comic-Con regardless of what happens. However, there were a couple:

– Harrison Ford – My one goal was to shake his hand or get a fist pump from him. Since we had press passes we were allowed into the bullpen in front of Hall H. RIGHT by where the stars walk in and out. I hand up over the rail and called his name. He just stared down at us like we were aliens. To his credit, he probably couldn’t see a dang thing with all the flash bulbs going off. Literally I could have reached out and grabbed his leg, I probably should have.

– The Other Guy panel – I missed The Other Guy panel and totally forgot that Will Ferrell was going to be in it. From every report I heard, he was hysterical. Yeah, my bad for missing that one.

– Crowds and sleep deprivation – I know, I know, both of these are part of Comic-Con, but they are still annoying.

Biggest Surprise – The biggest surprise award goes to.

Rainn Wilson looking tough

Super panel – This is a new movie by James Gunn of Slither fame. With a cast including Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Nathan Fillion and Liv Tyler it should be an obvious home run. Yet, I knew little about the movie until this panel and now I can’t wait for this movie to come out. It looks awesome and the panel was hysterical cracking jokes about each other and even having a make shift wrestling match between Rainn Wilson and Nathan Fillion. Liv Tyler also came down into the bullpen for a brief photo shoot during which she nearly bumped into me. I almost wet my pants.

Well everyone, that is my Comic-Con experience in brief. If you have never been you are missing out. If you have been we hope to see you next year!

I will not be Babbling for the next two weeks or so seeing as how I am going to Malawi, Africa but rest assured I would never abandon you and I’ll be back in a couple weeks with all sorts of Babblings!